Free African Society of Philadelphia (1787- ?)

February 10, 2011 
/ Contributed By: Shirley Yee

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Free African Society historical marker

In 1787, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, prominent black ministers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed the Free African Society (FAS) of Philadelphia, a mutual aid and religious organization. Allen and Jones envisioned the Society as the foundation of an interdenominational church for the cityโ€™s free black population.ย  Allen, however, found the FASโ€™s incorporation of Quaker practices, such as silent prayer, incompatible with his desire for more outwardly expressive forms of worship.ย  A dedicated Methodist at that time, he left the organization two years after its founding.ย  Absalom Jones remained with the organization, eventually becoming its president.

Throughout the late 18th century, the FAS served as one of the cityโ€™s leading black philanthropic organizations.ย  Besides Jones, its members included notable African American abolitionist men such as Cyrus Bustill, James Forten, and William Gray. With the exception of Forten, most of the founding men were former slaves.

The organization functioned as both a mutual aid society and club where members of Philadelphia’s black elite could socialize and forge business relationships with one another. By 1794, the Society had become large enough to accomplish its original goal when members built their own house of worship, St. Thomas African Episcopal Church.ย  Church leaders initially offered the pastorate to Richard Allen in an effort to persuade him to rejoin the Society. After Allen rejected the offer, Absalom Jones accepted the appointment of the Churchโ€™s first pastor.

In addition to providing assistance to the sick, widowed, and orphaned members of Philadelphia’s black community, the FAS also extended its help to the city at large. The Societyโ€™s most famous contribution to the city was the help members provided during the yellow fever epidemic in 1793, which killed thousands of Philadelphians.

The FAS served as a catalyst for the establishment of other black mutual aid societies in the city during the mid-nineteenth century, when abolitionist organizing among Philadelphiaโ€™s free black population flourished.

About the Author

Author Profile

Shirley J. Yee is Associate Professor of Women Studies at the University of Washington. Yee earned her Ph.D. at Ohio State University in 1987 and is the author of Black Women Abolitionists: A Study in Activism, 1828-1860 (University of Tennessee Press, 1992) and โ€œBlack Women as Community Builders,โ€ Canadian Historical Review.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Yee, S. (2011, February 10). Free African Society of Philadelphia (1787- ?). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/free-african-society-philadelphia-1787/

Source of the Author's Information:

James Henretta, โ€œRichard Allen and African-American Identity,โ€ Early America Review 1 (Spring 1997); Julie Winch, A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002); and Julie Winch, Philadelphiaโ€™s Black Elite: Activism, Accommodation, and the Struggle for Autonomy, 1787-1848 (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988).

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